You don’t really need another reason to get the shingles vaccine, for yourself (if you’re over 60) or your older relatives. A painful rash, possible damage to vision and a substantial risk of the condition called postherpetic neuralgia, which can hurt for a long time — aren’t those enough?
But here’s another reason anyway, courtesy of a British research team: In the six months after a case of shingles, more formally known as herpes zoster, you may face a much higher risk of having a stroke.
The researchers’ study, just published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, showed that in the four weeks after a shingles diagnosis, these individuals had a 63 percent higher rate of stroke than at other times. From weeks five through 12, their stroke risk ran 42 percent higher, falling to 23 percent higher in weeks 13 through 26.